[thechat] Watching Mars...

[Martin Burns]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Bruce Jones <Bruce.Jones1@>
> Date: Fri Aug 8, 2003  6:37:40  am Europe/London
> Subject: No one alive will ever see this again.
>
>
>
> This will be a once in a lifetime event.
>
> The Red Planet is about to become a spectacular sight! This month and
> next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will 
> culminate
> in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. 
> The
> next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.
>
> The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within
> 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be the brightest, except for the 
> moon
> in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of -2.9 and will appear
> 25.11 arc seconds wide, at modest 75-power magnification.
>
> Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. Mars will be
> easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10
> p.m. and reach its zenith at about 3 a.m.
>
> By the end of August when the two planets are closest, Mars will rise
> at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's
> pretty convenient to see something that no human being has ever seen.
>
> So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow
> progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.
>
> No one alive will ever see this again.

Cheers
Martin